sometimes...

you have to make a place faaaar from home, feel like home.

extreme room makeover (aka new quilt cover, lamp and moved a poster around :)

new amazing "tree" lamp from IKEA that i have ALWAYS wanted.

pretty. girly. flowery.

just coming "home" makes me feel more relaxed.

after teaching 3 and 6 year olds who barely speak English all day... it's necessary. 

visit to old town (yuyuan bazaar/garden)

roomie & i decided to get out and see our city today! yes, OUR city! i liiivveee in shanghaaiiii!! :) (just had to shout that one out) i don't think i've been this happy in a long time. today i realized i am here. i am living out my dreams. it was a BEAUTIFUL 70 degrees today (a 20 degree drop from the normal, intense, humid and horrible heat), we visited Old Town, sipped tea, ate xiao long bao (shanghai soup dumplings = perfection), walked through the fashion district, danced in the park and walked through People's Square. it's possible this has been my favorite day here. i even got a pet goldfish, on a key chain. i will take you on a picture adventure of my day :)

yuyuan teahouse 

mac & i's teas. my flavor was called "The Love Story of a Butterfly & Flower"

oh, & the quail eggs. really good :)

me @ the teahouse - amazing view!

the same stamp store from the amazing race! yes, i am a nerd. i semi-freaked out.

xiao long bao - shanghai soup dumplings. the BEST!

yuyuan bazaar at night. beautiful.

this one deserves a story in itself. so... get a close look at these bad boys. they are keychains with live goldfish in them. the little guys are just swimming around.... (just keep swimming, just keeeepp swimming - my adage to Finding Nemo). problem is... you can't open the lid (or not that i've tried). i did just say you can't open the lid, as in I BOUGHT ONE! it was Y10, about $1.25ish. you can't pass a conversation piece like this up. maybe it's inhumane... i don't know.... but it was a good deal and so funny. mine is the green one. i named him Squishy (like in Finding Nemo). now, if i lose my keys, poor Squishy no longer has an owner. Dan says he'll die soon. he is not being a good sport about it :) my mom thinks he will die too. thanks for being positive, people! such sweeties. not!

people randomly dancing in the park. yes, we got our groove on as well with quite a crowd of spectators :) you know i can't resist a good jam.

but, overall, yuyuan exploring was an amazing day! i loved just spending time with my roomie over tea, talking about our lives and trying new things. tomorrow, we are going to head back to the fake market to look for some shoes to go with these AMAZING high-waisted black pants we BOTH bought at H&M. mmmm they are adorable! we also want to purchase Rosetta Stone - Mandarin. $200 in the states, right? well, its about $10 here :) Yeah, it's a copied version but works like a charm we've heard. what a great (fake) deal.

tomorrow night -- back to planning lessons and then a 6 day work week... uggh. BUT Jennifer comes on the 2nd of October. eeeek! can't wait. i will be able to push through those 6 days if only for that reason.

here's to hoping we can get train tickets to Beijing... rumor has it they are about sold out, if not already... :(

hey hai bao - you are everywhere!

ps. i also bought some pretty rad sunglasses. rockin the red!

and i SWEAR i will blog about the mooncakes! i sweeeaar.

my neighborhood

i know i said next blog would be about mooncakes, buuuttt you will have to wait. i will tomorrow maybe once i photograph them and open them up!
saturday afternoon, my roommate Mac and I and our friend Jacqueline did a little exploring of our neighborhood: the French Concession.
look how BEAUTIFUL the streets are! lined with trees...

yes, this is in Shanghai! Hard to believe right? I still can't believe it. This is my street too.... wait... actually no it's not. haha but, it is the next street over! We also found a super sweet little park across from our apartment too...

  

it is going to be the perfect spot come fall to go over and read books, just take a walk... or sit. think. write. i can't wait :) we saw a few old men playing some games as well. haha after we found this park we ventured to a place on Taikang Lu called Tianzafang? (something like that :) the chinese is coming slowly but surely) it is literally in mac and i's "back-yard"! 

   

it's amazing shopping and restaurants! just mazes upon mazes of awesome, artsy stuff! i could go there once a week for sure just to look around! we ate at a super cute place too (horrible service) but great over all! 

obamao? hmmmmm. yes? had to photograph that one.

after the exploration of the neighborhood, mac and i decided to head to Shanghai Chili Cook-off 2010! Yes, a chili cook-off!! I mean, when you hear the word chili cook-off in China, it's kiinnnddaa like you have to go. So, we wrote down the address, hopped in a cab, 15 minutes later we were there!

it was filled with chili and beer lovin' ex-pats. hey, no complaints there! i am a chili and beer lovin ex-pat :) we met some great people, had some mediocre beer (the chinese DO NOT understand how to pour beers or get a beer from tap. the head on the beer, is usually half the beer. i cringe. i ask for a bottle, and i will pour it.)  we met some crazies though! but, you get those everywhere. it was so awesome! 

my saturday was amazing! my sunday... i had to work. lame... BUT we are heading to Moganshan, China on wednesday through friday. I can't wait! Getting some days off work for the upcoming Moon Festival.

Check out where we will be staying!!

Photos of Prodigy Outdoor Base in Moganshan

we are staying in the bunk beds! haha 

the day with no electricity

Wunan decided that this Friday (today) they would not use ANY electricity in the school. Why? Even they weren't quite sure, but that is China for you. Things like that happen and they are NOT few and far between. One thing I have learned from living in China is that you have to go. with. the. flow. If you don't, then you won't survive. You have to embrace the spontaneous and "last minute change" lifestyle. I'm working on it :)
Anyways, a day without electricity means a day that it is "optional" for students to come to school. In my 5/6 I had three students: Hong, Gaspar and Xixi. Here is how we occupied our time:

i taught them funny faces. they really struggled with this one. it was cute :)

gaspar made some... corn?

i made a snowflake.

xixi ... being precious. :)

& they sang me a song about the Moon Festival!! i loved it!

p.s. let's be thankful that it wasn't as hot today, and that wunan is shaded by trees. there was a slight breeze as well. had this day 2 weeks earlier... it could have been a nightmare. and as you might notice below... not even the fans were running.

next blog: my mooncakes :)

student art :)

my students are so artistic. lemme clarify- my 5/6 year olds are! my 3 year olds are just working on coloring not blobs, gluing pasta and holding a pencil :)

 last week i did a unit on family in my 5/6. we made family trees.

 

how ANIME are these? look at the sunshine faces! obviously, these girls are BFF :) i love love love these. they did the best out of anyone! here are some of the rest...

...and now for the sweetest girl ever : ) and cutest!

  

this is Jiajia. Yes, the same girl that peed on me. but, how can you NOT forgive this face?

sherpa's.

if only america had this option.
it's called Sherpa's. this company has about 100 different restaurants and services, delivered right to your door! :) they have american, italian, french, mexican, chinese food, etc! you go online, put in your address and then add the meal to your cart. about 45 minutes later, the food is at your door! a guy comes on his motor bike and you end up with an amazing dinner that you didn't have to go anywhere for!

our guy kinda looked like him - all smiles! haha it is a little pricey though (since it's mainly ex-pat type restaurants) and there is a Y15 delivery fee (equivalent of about $2) but it is totally worth it. sometimes. haha just to treat ourselves. we had a rough weekend (just kidding, it's called being tired and too lazy).

Mac and I ordered from Malone's, a great burger joint!

and all... right. to. our. door. no.43 shaoxing lu :)

it made my night. those potato wedges and ketchup hit the spot.

first full week of teaching finished... check!

And it's done. My first full week of teaching completed, and it feels great! I am so excited that things are going so well and that I love my school so much. That's not to say that some things aren't a little challenging, I come across HUGE challenges everyday. The students in both my classes really like to try my patience :) The 3 year olds, now, they are 3. Enough said. They are rowdy, have the attention span of a small goldfish and frankly, they just wanna play. Also, again, they are 3! Their Chinese is just starting to get good and here I am trying to teach them English. My main goal of this week: keep things active and interesting. My unit theme is Numbers this week so I am going to research songs, games and mooorreee games with numbers.
My 6 year old class, well, out of the 13 kids, 10 are boys. They just wanna run around and fight each other! They usually stay in tune with my lesson for about 10 minutes and then it is all downhill. I promise my lessons are fun here people! haha Also, it takes me about 3 minutes at the beginning of my lesson to just get them to stop talking! It all takes practice - I am hoping next week goes a little better.

Friday was Teacher's Day! In China, Teacher's Day is a big deal! Its presents, cards, and early dismissal :) I got a bunch of cute cards, flowers, and even a mooncake certificate! (Pictures soon, once I get my camera batteries today). All my 3 year olds shouted I LOVE YOU MISS JAMI! down the hall way when i was with my 6 yrs. It was so precious. Also, all my cards were addressed to "Miss Jima" Yes, Jima. Parents can't seem to get my name right! I think my problem here is though that Jane, the Chinese teacher in the classroom, sent out my contact information spelled Jima. I saw it one day on a spreadsheet. Its okay though, my kids get it right. Jami. Jami. JAMI!
After the day was over and the kids went home, we had an all faculty celebration with the branch school. Basically, I sat through an entire hour long program... all in Chinese. I basically clapped when Tina clapped (another teacher in the school). Interesting, but boring. Then we went to a huge (an expensive, all paid) dinner with everyone. I also had whale fin soup!!! It is a Chinese delicacy. It was actually really good. When I asked what it was, I was told it was "whale wing" soup. haha Wing. Silly Chinese :) The night was followed by a LOT of toasting bosses, retirees, faculty and more. I think i greeted over 100 people and toasted almost 10 big-wigs!
Needless to say - after a 12 hour day. I slept good last night.
Excited to post more pictures soon. Check out my Flickr photostream (to the right) with pictures from orientation week!

what is that puddle?

story of the day: here it goes...

so i am standing in my 3 year old class... just surveying the scene, watching the kids, laughing at the boys and all the sudden, i wiggle my toes and i notice my feet are getting wet. "hmmm, what is that? did pan laoshi spill the snack?" i stare at the ground for a few minutes and i realize... JiaJia is peeing. on my feet. and now walking away. are you joking me? it took me a few minutes to realize what was going on. completely zoned out i walked over to Jane (the chinese teacher) and said "she peed". that's all i could muster out. what do i have, the vocabulary of my 3 year olds? apparently. after the initial shock, i walked her over to the teacher's helper, and she took care of it. i then proceeded to walk the the bathroom, wash off my feet with some soap.
my feet will survive. my leather sandals? i'm not so sure.
i guess i will just shower in them.

Woo-hoo for Wunan!

i'm into my second week of teaching and I am beginning to love the school even more.
Here is some background on Shanghai Wunan Kindergarten. It is an international school primarily but also has local classes. It is located right next to the US Embassy and is very expensive (or so I've heard). I mean, I have one kid whose mom is a very famous actress and dancer. She is now a huge director here in Shanghai. Another mom is the daughter of one of the biggest construction firm owners in Shanghai. Most kids live in the area, have drivers and aris (nannies).

the kids range from ages 2-6. it amazes me how young they start school! basically all the 2 year olds do is cry, poop, scream, throw up and run away from people. thank GOODNESS i am not with them. of course, they are ADORABLE but... too much to handle. I have two 2 year olds in my 3 year old class... that's enough for me, thank you. Everyday the students arrive, they get breakfast. There are sports activity, free time, English lessons (taught by Jami Laoshi :) pronouned low (like ou in ouch) and shu (like su in sugar). its so cute when they call me that. those 3 year olds melt my heart. 

sneak peak of my kids :) not very good, but my camera batteries have died and they won't charge here in china... lame. gotta get that taken care of this weekend. i also teach a 6 year old class! i loooove them! they are so interested in what i have to say and really listen. i mean, how can you expect  3 year old to listen for more than 10 minutes? especially when they don't understand me... not at all or close to not at all. a little frustrating, but i am sure i will get into the swing of things soon. anyways, 6 year olds!! great class - out of 13, i have 11 boys. whew. rough. one boy speaks 4 languages. he makes me look dumb. haha i am sure i will have so many stories and pictures of these kids in the months to come :)

oh, did i mention i got my first gift today :) it's from Joy, a little girl in my 3 year old class. its a pen!! the stem comes out and it suctions to my desk. so cute. i was so excited. i over-hugged, i am positive.

 and ps. teachers meetings here are just like in america. gotta have that starbucks :)

you can't bring your dog in here!

actually, yes. yes, you can.

tonight as Mac and I went to have dinner tonight - we had quite the experience.
1. everything was in chinese.
2. no one spoke english.

lo and behold - a Chinese man noticed the bewildered look on our faces and said "No one speaks English here. Can I help you?" Of course you can, dude! :) Basically, we went on to point at his meal, since we had no clue what to even say or get and he ordered for us.
Noodles and pork, white rice, cabbage, beef something or rather, and Shanghai dumplings. Add a huge bottle of beer -- approximately $5. i love this country.

3. a man comes in with no shirt. no shoes, no shirt, no service DOES NOT apply here.
4. his poodle is following him.
5. his poodle sits at the table.
6. his poodle eats his regurgitated food.
7. overall, a good night.

dinner adventures - priceless entertainment.

chateau china

would you like a tour of my apartment? of course you would.

the "alley" off Shaoxing Lu

the entryway to the door

the living room - also mac's bedroom.

stairs to my room

my room - and obviously the bed is not made. some things never change

kitchen - with a stove we cant figure out yet.

dining room

                                          

        get ready for this... this is the door to GO OUTSIDE to the bathroom. 

yes, we have to walk outside to get to it.

                 

bathroom. not much to look at, but hey, it works.

so, that's our place. next time, i will take pictures of our neighborhood here in the French Concession of Shanghai. it is beautiful! there are trees, quieter streets, restaurants, shopping, everything! 

I just got done working on my lesson plans for the week. For once -- maybe I will be using my degree. :) This weekend has been so nice. Friday - went out with some friends to Zappatas - an ex-pat bar about 15 minutes away from our apartment. Mac and I also decided to hit up the FAKE market today. I got a delicious Marc Jacobs wallet for about $13. It is pretty :) I am only a little in love. I also got Microsoft Office for my Macbook - $8. And it is working like a charm. Lastly, a Le Sport Sac backpack to travel to and from teaching. The pattern is somewhat Lisa Frank-esque ... takes me back to my days in elementary school. Mac bought a Louis Vuitton bag and wallet, and D&G bag. We tallied up the prices in USD through google and it was about $4000. We only paid 600RMB though ... which translates to about ... $100USD. Hello, good buy :)

roomie & i at Chalet before Zappatas - yes, we still bar hop in this country :)